The Quest for Immortality

Gu Changhuai choked and sighed helplessly, "Follow me to the Taoist Court. I'll give you the Letter Token. Try it…"

"Uh-huh!"

Mo Hua kept nodding energetically.

Gu Changhuai shook his head. He hadn't expected that he, a dignified Golden Core Realm Supervisor, would resort to relying on a novice cultivator to find clues…

But under someone's roof, one has no choice but to bow their head…

Gu Changhuai informed Wenren Wan and then, together with Mo Hua, set off back to the Taoist Court.

Gu Changhuai went through some procedures and retrieved the Letter Token of Flower Gentleman.

It was a jade plaque that bore the color of emerald amidst its creamy whiteness.

Mo Hua examined it, then sent his Divine Sense inside to peek at the Letter Token, finding it blank as all content had been erased.

"Uncle Gu, help me open it…"

He was afraid that if he tried, he might damage it.

Gu Changhuai wanted to open it, but hesitated before starting.

He feared that Mo Hua's lack of skill might ruin the Formation Patterns inside.

However, thinking it through, even if they restored it for Heaven Shu Pavilion, it would still be damaged if it were meant to be damaged.

There was no one-hundred-percent reliable method of "restoration."

Now, without taking a gamble, once the Fire Buddha ran away, even if the Letter Token was truly restored, it would be of no use.

Upon this thought, Gu Changhuai made up his mind.

Swiftly, he opened the Letter Token, with a delicate touch and skilled movements.

After opening it, the underlying Formation Patterns were exposed, and Gu Changhuai handed the Letter Token to Mo Hua.

Mo Hua immediately began to copy the Fixed Magnetic Patterns.

The Fixed Magnetic Patterns of the Letter Tokens were all different.

This Letter Token's Fixed Magnetic Patterns were also considerably different from those of the Bald Eagle.

Mo Hua copied the Fixed Magnetic Patterns onto an Array Plate, and then, by studying the "Annotations on Fixed Magnetic Patterns," he barely understood the meaning of these Magnetic Patterns.

The functional Magnetic Patterns were generally the same.

It was just the habit of "drawing" the Magnetic Patterns that showed variations.

But the most different aspect was that this Letter Token was actually one-way.

It could only receive messages and not transmit text.

"Fire Buddha and his people are very cautious…"

Subsequently, Mo Hua followed the procedure, using the Fixed Magnetic Patterns as a base, and taking the Secondary Thunder Pattern as a magnetic flow "contract" trace, he began to re-derive.

Soon, text began to emerge on the Array Plate…

Gu Changhuai's heart trembled.

"It really… restored it…"

He quietly glanced at Mo Hua, his feelings fluctuating. Then he turned his head and focused on the text restored on the Array Plate.

Due to the ever-changing Secondary Thunder Pattern, Mo Hua's observation, acute as it was, still allowed some oversights.

As such, there were some inaccuracies in the text,

And the sequence was disordered.

But overall, it was still comprehensible…

…

"Hua Laoliu… where are you?"

"If this goes wrong, we're all dead…"

"Damn it…"

"November first…"

"The whole family is extinct…"

"Everything is ready, unseen and unheard…"

"Bishan City, rouge shop…"

…

"What's so fun about those withered flowers and defiled willows?"

"After success, the young master will reward you with premium goods, something you couldn't even lick in your lifetime…"

"Hua Lao Liu, don't miss the hour."

"Hua Laoliu?"

"If you get lusty again and ruin the big plan, I will castrate you…"

…

"The eldest brother is very angry, the consequences are very severe."

"You're definitely dead…"

…

After reading these texts, Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai looked at each other, both frowning.

"This tone doesn't seem like Fire Buddha…"

"It's possible that it was sent by one of Fire Buddha's subordinates…"

There seemed to be few clues inside.

Mainly, they were all already known information.

Flower Gentleman and Fire Buddha were together; they planned to go to Bishan City to annihilate the Xie family.

Besides that, there were two points that caught Mo Hua's attention.

One was "young master."

"After the success, the young master will reward you with premium goods…"

Who is this "young master"?

Suddenly, Mo Hua recalled the "accounts" text restored from the Letter Token issued by the Bald Eagle, which included a record:

"Day twenty, a hundred flowers, received one immortal crane, gifted to the young master…"

One immortal crane, gifted to the "young master".

Are these two references to "young master" referring to the same person?

Or is it just a coincidence?

After all, this is the Qianxue State Boundary, and there are too many family disciples, many of whom are called "young master."

Mo Hua himself has been called "little young master"…

Mo Hua glanced at Gu Changhuai and asked softly,

"Uncle Gu, do you know of any sin cultivator with a notorious reputation nicknamed 'young master'?"

Gu Changhuai furrowed his brows in thought and shook his head, "I haven't heard of it…"

Mo Hua nodded.

If Uncle Gu hadn't heard of it, it meant that it was very likely someone hidden in the shadows…

Now the only clue was another place that caught Mo Hua's attention.

"Rouge shop."

This was the only specific place mentioned in the entire Letter Token.

It could be a meeting place.

Or perhaps there was a lookout.

It might even be their hiding place…

Gu Changhuai had clearly thought of this too.

"Uncle Gu, are there any rouge shops in Bishan City?" Mo Hua asked further.

Gu Changhuai pondered, "There are a few…"

"How about we take a look?" Mo Hua suggested tentatively.

At this point, they had to check it out no matter what.

Gu Changhuai nodded, stood up to leave, but after taking a few steps, he realized that Mo Hua, like a little tag-along, was following close behind, clearly wanting to go with him.

Gu Changhuai didn't want to take him along, but knowing full well he couldn't get rid of Mo Hua, he didn't waste any effort and just emphasized,

"Three rules, don't forget!"

"Uh-huh." Mo Hua nodded.

Gu Changhuai sighed, about to leave, but then seemed to remember something, his expression turning serious,

"Don't talk about restoring the Magnetic Patterns to anyone else."

"Especially people from the Taoist Court…"

Mo Hua was startled, then realized the gravity of the situation, and nodded slightly, "Don't worry, I keep my mouth shut."

Gu Changhuai was then reassured.

Afterward, the two of them set out toward Bishan City by carriage.

This trip was just for gathering information; Gu Changhuai did not summon a crowd, calling on others from the Taoist Court.

The carriage sped along, bumping down the road, and soon reached Bishan City.

Inside Bishan City, there were four rouge shops.

Two larger ones were lavishly decorated, the scent of cosmetics potent, with men and women pairing up, bustling with activity.

Another one, not doing well business-wise, was on the verge of closing.

These three seemed to be without issues.

The suspicious one was the last one.

The shop was simply called "Rouge Shop," located in a small alley, neither too large nor too small, with very few customers and quite quiet.

While the shop indeed displayed many rouges and powders, they were old, clearly unsold stock.

Moreover, the entire shop exuded a peculiar, dissonant feeling.

Occasionally, a cultivator would enter, but after a while, they all came out.

Mo Hua and Gu Changhuai sat in a nearby teahouse, drinking a pot of tea and nibbling on two plates of pine nuts, all the while keeping an eye on the movements of the rouge shop.

They didn't act rashly, preferring to observe the situation first.

After watching for over an hour, Mo Hua lightly exclaimed "eh".

Gu Changhuai raised an eyebrow, "Did you notice something?"

Mo Hua picked up his tea cup, took a sip of tea, then, without showing any expression, lowered his voice,

"This shop has no customers…"

"The patrons going in and out, despite being men and women of different appearances, are actually just one person…"

Gu Changhuai displayed a hint of surprise, nodding his head.

Seeing that he didn't react much, Mo Hua curiously asked,

"Uncle Gu, did you notice it too?"

Gu Changhuai gave a light snort, "A mere trick to deceive the eyes; how could it fool me…"

Mo Hua, somewhat annoyed by his arrogant attitude, then asked,

"Then do you know who the cultivator disguising as the patrons is?"

Gu Changhuai was taken aback.

How could he know that?

Gu Changhuai looked at Mo Hua, "Do you know?"

Mo Hua lifted his eyebrows smugly.

Gu Changhuai frowned in confusion, "How do you know?"

Mo Hua said, "Because not long ago, it was I who caught him and sent him to the Taoist Prison!"